5TH ANNUAL POSTER CONTEST Arizona Dally Sun azdailysun.com Living Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013 B7 Arts 'Citizen scientists' help researchers with data Singing the Story of Christ's Life so that researchers can access many person -years' worth of classifications within days, weeks or months. Another is the fact that so many multiple independent interactions with the data sets help highlight quantitative errors and also serve as great training regimens for how to incorporate machine learning approaches to classification problems. "While the primary goal of our projects is to produce academic research, by their very nature they are also outreach projects," reports Zooniverse. "As it involves our volunteers directly i in the process of research, citizen science is a powerful tool for both formal and informal education." CONTACTS: Audubon CBC, birds.audubon.org/christmasbird-count; Project Noah, www.
projectnoah.org; BugGuide.net, wwwbugguide.net; Zooniverse, www.zooniverse.org. is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of The Environmental Magazine (www. emagazine.com). Send questions to: Subscribe: www.emagazine. Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.
The Messiah libretto by Charles Jennens is drawn entirely from the King James and Great Bibles, and interprets the Christian doctrine of the Messiah. The three acts of the musical story include The Annunciation, The Passion and The Aftermath, which offers a hymn of Thanksgiving for the final overthrow of Death. When "Messiah" was first performed in London during Lent on March 23, 1743, King George Il rose to his feet at Covent Gardens during the triumphant Hallelujah Chorus, to express his admiration for the piece. The entire audience rose with him. To this day, audiences worldwide are still rising to their feet during the chorus.
Handel, a German-born composer who moved first to Italy and then to England, composed the work during the lowest point in his career when he was overweight, suffering from poor health and in financial difficulty. His "Messiah" has long been considered the most famous oratorio ever written. Historians note that Handel wrote most of the work in some three weeks time in London, secluding himself beginning on Aug. 22, 1741, and completing the 260 manuscript pages in record time. It is also recorded that in the late summer of that year, Handel was described by his servants: "He was praying, or he was weeping, or he was staring into eternity." Betsey Bruner attending the Master Chorale's performance of Handel's Messiah," said Watson, who has performed with NAU Opera in five different productions under the direction of Nando Schellen.
"Now that I am a senior, I am so honored and excited to be a part of this Flagstaff tradition and sing with such talented musicians." Buying tickets in advance and arriving a bit early is a good idea Monday night, as the floor of the church space will very likely be filled up fast in the 500 seats necessary to receive a sold- out perfor- mance. Zooniverse projects pertain to space and astronomy, but green- leaning citizen scientists will find plenty to pitch in on there. For example, analyzing wartime ship logs to better model Earth's climate, categorizing underwater calls from endangered killer whales to help identify and track family groups, or identifying African animals "caught" on millions of camera trap pictures. According to Zooniverse, conducting research by using citizen science has several advantages. One is the ability to cope with extremely large data sets Zmierski, tenor, from Lake Orion, Stephanie Whitaker, mezzo, from Tucson; Katherine Watson, soprano, from Surprise; Francis Valladares, soprano, from Mesa; Josephyne Santos, soprano, from Gilbert; Colette Roberts, soprano, from Las Vegas; Sergio Manzo, baritone, from Mesa; Sedona Libero, mezzo, from Phoenix; Isaac Estrada, bass, from West Covina, and Colten Blair, tenor, from Fort Collins, Colo.
Blair, a double major in vocal performance and psychology, has sung in many NAU Opera productions, including "Cosi fan tutte" and selections from the musical "Chicago." Although he has attended several Messiah performances, this is his first time to solo in the work. "It's an honor to work with FSO and Master Chorale," Blair said. "It's such amazing music it's such a treat! One thing I really like is there's a lot of room for ornamentation. In my solo, there are a lot of trills. They are a lot of fun." One of the most moving songs in the musical story is "I Know that My Redeemer Liveth," which is sung by a soprano.
For this concert it will be sung by Katherine Watson, a soprano from Surprise who is a senior vocal performance major studying voice with Deborah Raymond. "Since I was a freshman at NAU, I have been RAVEN from Page B1 The crow is more familiar to most people. Sometimes it's hard to tell ravens apart from crows. Ravens are non- migratory and are found in northern and mountainous environments in North America. Crows are more widespread and may migrate in and out of Canada.
Ravens are quite a bit larger, an average of 25 long, and are shabbier and have hooked beaks. In flight, they soar more than crows and flap less. Also, ravens are more solitary than crows, who like to congregate with other crows. Both birds are very vocal, with 80 different recognizable calls. Ravens and crows are portrayed as tricksters in Native American mythology and are also associated with death.
Ravens help humans by keeping highways clean and crows eating grubs and pests in farm fields. A FULL DAY OF ACTIVITIES Although the raven event is only six hours long, it will be cram -packed with interesting presentations, such as the first item on the agenda (10 to 11:30 a.m.) The Trickster Writing Circle, led by Sojourner, a local author and writing coach. The theme will be ravens, coyotes and other tricksters. There is room for only 12 participants. To reserve a spot, email Anne Doyle at az.us.
Sojourner will also read a series of writings dedicated to the raven, the coyote and other trickster animals, as well as share some related excerpts from her forthcoming novel, from 3 to 3:30 p.m. Join authors Budden and Thompson for Readings for the Birds, as they share their favorite stories, excerpts and tales about the rascally ravens and other smart and zany birds, from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. During the entire event, regional and renowned artists Begay, Lash, Wilson, McGinnis, Lee and Sellin will be displaying and selling their raven- inspired artwork. Some of these artists will also lead a discussion, Craft and the Claw, complete with slides, about why the raven is such a popular figure in their art and in the art of the region, from 2:15 to 3 p.m.
a a ant eat uy DEAR EARTHTALK: What exactly are "citizen scientists" and how can I become one? Eric Wilson, Barre, Mass. "Citizen scientists" are members of the public who help scientists and researchers by making observations collecting and recording data. The term was first popu-: larized by the National Audubon Society as part of its annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC), during which volunteers from across the country fan out to count local birds. The aggregated data has been helping Audubon assess the health of U.S. bird populations and plan its conservation initiatives accordingly since the tradition began in 1900.
Thousands of Audubon members still participate in the CBC, though modern-day citizen scientists are more likely to be members of Project Noah, an app-based tool that allows everyday people to share wildlife sightings via their Internet -con- nected mobile devices. Through the power of so-called (outsourcing a task to a distribEARTH uted undefined but TALKO group of Questions Answers people), About Our Environment it has become one of the most popular online communities for nature exploration and documentation. User- -created local missions allow members to observe specific wildlife species based on their own interests, accessing the efforts and enthusiasm of other Project Noah members in the process. And of course, individuals or small groups or classes can search for other missions to help via Project Noah's website or mobile app. Some other examples of environmentally oriented citizen science include BugGuide.net, an online community of amateur and professional naturalists who share observations of insects and collaborate on related research, and Citclops, a European Harkins Theatres Flagstaff 11 (928) 314-FILM (Code 227) HarkinsTheatres.com ALL DIGITAL PROJECTION AND SOUND ON SALE NOW! 2014 LOYALTY CUP T-SHIRT $1.50 DRINK REFILLS FREE MEDIUM POPCORN THE BEST MAN HOLIDAY LAST VEGAS N-13 4:20, 4:30, 7:30, 10:30 7:10, 10:00 THOR: THE DARK WORLD ABOUT TIME 4:15, 1:15, 2:60, 5:30, 6:45, 8:20, 7:15, 10:15 11:00 JACKASS PRESENTS: BAD THOR: THE DARK WORLD GRANDPA 4:20, 6:50, 3D 11:15, 3:50, 10:40 9:10 4:50, 7:30, 9:30, ENDER'S GAME 12 YEARS A SLAVE 3:45, 6:40, 9:45 4:00, 7:00, 10:00 FREE BIRDS PG) 3:40, GRAVITY 3D 4:00, 6:05, 8:30, 10:45 6:20, 8:50, 11:10 Showtimes valid for Sunday 11.17 a Special ad Eng Captiening ageist Devices Me not Passes, Be Coup aDs a Audio Description He net co ababe 2013 Union -funded project where everyday people help scientists gather data to assess the environmental status of water bodies across that continent.
Budding citizen scientists looking for different types of projects can browse the offerings on Zooniverse, a citizen science web portal that grew out of the online crowdsourced Galaxy Zoo project, whereby amateur astronomers help classify the morphology of galaxies. More than 700,000 volunteers have so far contributed time to various Zooniverse projects. Many MESSIAH from Page B1 "Singing 'Messiah' is an oratorio tradition that started in England," said Copley, in a 2011 Daily Sun story. "It's really a wonderful way to begin the holidays." Copley said the Master Chorale typically performs it the Monday before Thanksgiving; however, this year it is one week earlier. Lynne Nemeth, who is the executive director of The Arboretum in Flagstaff, has been singing with the Master Chorale since 2009.
"I've sung the Messiah countless times, and still look forward to it every year," she said. "It's a holiday tradition for so many people, and I'm excited that MCF is offering our community a chance to sing this masterpiece along with us." YOUNG VOCALISTS WILL SHINE Outstanding vocalists at NAU competed to sing in this year's Messiah production. In mid- auditions yielded 10 undergraduate music majors. Selected were the following singers: Ryan ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF THE COCONINO COUNTY ATTORNEY'SLIVE DRUG FREE GRAND PRIZE WINNER: Sydney Marston from Montessori Charter School STAY DRUG SECOND PRIZE WINNER: FREE Sarah Van Ess from BASIS Flagstaff AND LOVE CONGER THIRD PRIZE WINNER: Annecy Malone the from Mount Elden Middle School County Attorney David Rozema would like to thank all of the sixth grade students who participated this year! To see all of the posters go to www.coconino.az.gov/CountyAttorney and click on the link to the Live Drug Free Poster Contest IF YOU GO WHAT: Messiah, by George Frideric Handel WHEN: Monday at 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Trinity Heights United Methodist Church, 3600 N.
Fourth St. TICKETS: $20, adult, $18, senior, $8, students. Children 12 and younger, free. Available at the door, online through the NAU Central Ticket Office or from a MCF member. INFO: Visit the MCF website at www.masterchorale.net.
Betsey Bruner can be reached at or RAVEN PRINT by Simone Sellin IF YOU GO. WHAT: Day of the Raven WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 23, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. WHERE: Museum of Northern Arizona, 3101 N.
Fort Valley Road ADMISSION: $10 adults, $9 seniors $7 students with student ID, $6 American Indians and $6 youth (10-17). INFO: Visit musnaz.org or call 774-5213. Storyteller Jamey Hasapis will read from the most famous poem of the tricky corvid, "The Raven," by Edgar Allan Poe, from 11:30 to 11:45 a.m. During a Pinions and Poems session, from 12:45 to 1:30 p.m., essayist Blue and author Muller will explore in language and stories their passion and interest in ravens and talk about how they came to inspire their work. Zack Zdinak of the Audubon Society will present stories and information on the lives of ravens and what makes them unique birds in his talk, Birds of Wonder: A Presentation on Ravens and Corvids, from 1:30 to 2 p.m.
The day ends with a Meet and Greet, from 3:30 to 4 p.m., as the authors chat with guests and sell and sign their books and art..
